Chapter Four

Rolen knelt to earth on a small unpaved roadway at the southern end of the village. His eyes played skillfully over the scene before him, two lines of giant footprints mashed heavily into the earth. The prints were unlike anything Rolen had seen, but he had no doubt what creature had left them there. Rolen raised his gaze finally to the granite mountain peaks that guarded the valley village. Stone giants were a force to reckon with, especially in the numbers Rolen guessed had entered the village. But where had they gone?

Rolen stood, looking up the winding path that disappeared into the dense forest. The giant stone boulders lining the path, as well as the village border as far as Rolen could see in either direction, must have taken a great effort to put in place. Surely the villagers had exerted such energy as a line of defense against the creatures of the forest. But there were no gates, and the spaces between the boulders were wide enough to let any enemy through the line created by the lumps of stone. This was no kind of fortification for a village that felt threatened by the wilderness surrounding it. So why line the pathway and the village's border with these boulders?

Rone stood at Rolen's back, an arrow notched to the taut bowstring of the longbow he carried. His stomach churned within him. Whether it was bellyrot from the kettlefire breakfast the company cook had prepared, or the uneasiness settling on him, he didn't know. His palms were sweating. He wished Rolen would get them both out of the middle of the road. They were exposed and he had a feeling they weren't alone.

"We shouldn't be here." Rolen's eyes were still on the boulders. Suddenly there was something very unnatural about them, something...

"I know. We've been away too long. The others must have reported in already."

Rolen turned to see Rone slipping an arrow back into the quiver slung across his back.

"Rone!" But the warning came too late. The giant boulder to Rone's left suddenly sprang to life, transforming into a huge Stone Giant and exposing itself to the enemy so deftly Rone hadn't had a chance to react before being yanked off his feet in the vice-like grip of the killer freak of nature.

Rolen heard the sickening crunch of Rone's spine and ribs as the giant squeezed the life from his body. Slowly Rolen moved away from the giant, pulling the knife-blades carried by all scouts from their leather sheaths. He knew there was no chance of winning this fight, but he'd fight just the same.

The giant looked hard at Rolen, Rone's body hanging limp in its clenched hand. Then, in unison, the boulders all around Rolen sprang quietly to life and disappeared into the village.

Rolen slipped into a fighting stance, waiting for the giant to strike him down. He didn't even know if his steel blades could penetrate the thick, stony hide of the giant, but he'd snap both blades on the creature trying. He watched as the giant's right hand closed into a fist and knew his death was only seconds away. Suddenly the forest was alive, he could smell everything, the trees, flowers, the very earth under his feet. Sweat raced down his temples on either side of his head. Then the giant placed the stone fist on the ground in front of Rolen, lowering itself to peer into Rolen's eyes.

"Your commander has chosen you, Rolen son of Fenn. Others have not been so lucky. Today is not your day to die, live and fight the battles you have been spared for with honor. Serve your commander well."

Rolen felt the blades he had held in tight fists falling from his hands. He could reach for the bull's horn hanging at his side, send the warning, but then the giant turned and hurled Rone's lifeless body through the air in the direction of Mufaun's waiting battalion.

The alarm had been sent.